health ‧ y S3 W3 /ˈhelθi/ BrE AmE adjective ( comparative healthier , superlative healthiest )
[ Word Family: noun : ↑ health , ↑ healthiness ; adverb : ↑ healthily ≠ ↑ unhealthily ; adjective : ↑ healthy ≠ ↑ unhealthy ]
1 . PERSON/ANIMAL/PLANT physically strong and not likely to become ill or weak:
a healthy baby boy
I’ve always been perfectly healthy until now.
2 . GOOD FOR YOUR BODY good for your body:
a healthy lifestyle
a healthy diet
the importance of healthy eating
3 . SHOWING GOOD HEALTH showing that you are healthy:
Her face had a healthy glow.
All of our kids have healthy appetites (=they like to eat a lot) .
4 . BEHAVIOUR/ATTITUDE used to describe an attitude, feeling, or behaviour that is natural, normal, and sensible:
I don’t think it’s healthy for her to spend so much time alone.
healthy respect/disrespect/scepticism etc
a healthy disrespect for silly regulations
5 . COMPANY/RELATIONSHIP ETC a healthy company, society, relationship, ↑ economy etc is working effectively and successfully:
a healthy economy with a well-trained workforce
6 . AMOUNT large and showing that someone is successful – used about amounts of money:
a healthy profit
a healthy bank balance
—healthily adverb
—healthiness noun [uncountable]
• • •
THESAURUS
▪ healthy having good health:
A good diet keeps you healthy.
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They tested the drug on healthy volunteers.
▪ well used especially when describing or asking about how someone feels or looks:
I don’t feel well.
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How was James – did he look well?
▪ fine spoken used in a reply to a question about your health, or when talking about someone else’s health. Use fine only in replies, not in questions or statements:
‘Hi, Tom, how are you?’ ‘Fine, thanks.’
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She had a bad cold, but she’s fine now.
▪ all right/OK spoken not ill or injured. These expressions are very commonly used in everyday spoken English:
You look pale – are you feeling all right?
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He’s had an accident but he’s OK.
▪ better less ill than you were, or no longer ill:
I’m feeling a lot better now.
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Don’t come back to school until you’re better.
▪ fit healthy, especially because you exercise regularly:
She keeps fit by cycling everywhere.
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Police officers have to be physically fit and have good eyesight.
▪ in (good) shape healthy and fit:
Jogging keeps me in pretty good shape.
▪ robust literary healthy and strong, and not likely to become ill:
He had a robust constitution (=a strong and healthy body) .
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robust plants
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a robust girl, wearing a thick woollen sweater
▪ be/look a picture of health to look very healthy:
She looked a picture of health as she posed for the cameras.